


Before you know it

by Nedrika



Series: P4 Memes [5]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kink Meme, M/M, Souyo Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 02:38:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19075786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nedrika/pseuds/Nedrika
Summary: Kinkmeme fill and late souyo 2019 day 3: illness/injuryYosuke takes a hit meant for Souji, Mother Hen Souji Mode activateMake it shippy, make it platonic, idcbonus: fluffy enough to be a pillow





	Before you know it

The whole team was struggling by the time they climbed yet another staircase and were confronted with an identical dark hallway with no sign of Risette or her shadow. Between the booming music beating into their heads, too insistent to ignore or become background noise, and the whispers that always sounded far too close there was no respite. They had been in here for hours, and while Teddie could tell them that they were getting closer it was harder and harder to gather the energy to keep going; that they did was purely out of determination at this point. 

Souji’s arm jolted as sword tip begin to bounce off the ground occasionally, and whenever they had that moment to breathe he could see the fatigue beginning to wear at their edges: Yosuke had stopped bouncing foot to foot and instead bent over with his hands on his knees, panting loudly; Yukiko fanned herself with a hand on her hip, while Kanji was hunched in his chair looking stupefied. Whatever the next floor held, it would be the last for today. It would be foolish to go much further from here.

Of course, then came a particularly lucky group of shadows between the party and a golden chest. 

Souji had miscalculated his position in the corridor and had gouged a hole out of the wall rather than landing a surprise attack, and by the time they had fanned out into battle formation and Souji had wrenched his blade free the shadows had already started buffing themselves.

A party of a liberating idol and champion knight was close to the last thing on Souji’s wish list, but they made the best of it they could. They were all taking hits and draining fast, but then the idol was defeated and it looked like there was a chance again that the fight would be over sooner rather than later. Souji was in really poor shape but he only needed to shuffle through the fragments of his psyche to get something physical rather and off King Frost, it would only take a moment-

With his mind off the fight and on his personae he didn’t see the hit coming. 

What he did see was a flash of movement in his periphery as he came back into the moment, followed by a terrible whack as Yosuke took the fully powered hit straight to his chest, hard enough that it threw him back across the dancefloor where he skidded until he hit the wall, his arm smacking Souji’s as he flew past.

Souji stood paralysed for a long moment before the rage burst into life in him. He went for whichever persona was closest to mind, didn’t even register who it was before unleashing the most devastating spell the dregs of his magic could muster, watching in satisfaction as it landed the same moment as it was hit with a lightning bolt and fireball, the smell of smoke and ozone bursting from it as it was pushed back by Souji’s gale. 

The knight staggered then sagged with a clatter, but he didn’t wait to see it go down before turning tail and running to the corner of the room, trusting that Yukiko and Kanji could get it the last little way. 

He just needed to know, needed to check that he hadn’t gotten Yosuke killed through his own carelessness in pushing them beyond their limits, or being distracted in the middle of a fight. 

He reached him in no time, crouched down, and then had no idea what to do from there. His fingers trembled as he hovered over the unmoving form below him, and his breathing was harsh and painful as he watched the pool of blood begin to seep into the lush shag pile carpet to stain it black. His arm was crooked at a terrible angle and there was a dark patch seeping through to cover his chest, and Souji was cracking in two. The world was tipped and slid out from under him as he imagined shrines and caskets and morgues and an empty spot in the food court and-

No no no no no, not yet.

It took effort for him to settle enough to watch for the rise and fall of Yosuke’s chest - it was there, but oh so slight. It was enough, and the clenching in his chest unwound itself and the world righted again as he crushed a revival bead to pull his partner from unconsciousness and back to him.

From far away in another reality he heard Yukiko cry out for Amaterasu but couldn’t turn to face her, he was too busy watching as the warm light of her healing spell washed over him, stemmed the bleeding and righted bones with sickening squelches and cracks that he welcomed whole-heartedly. He cast his own for good measure, the scratch at the back of his mind that came from being out of magic the only reason he didn’t get him all the way back up to full health.

Yosuke groaned and started to push himself up; Souji rushed to help and ended him pulling him into a seating position with a startled yelp from the invalid. Souji wasted no time, brushing his hands over his limbs and patting down his shirt to feel for any lumps where they shouldn’t be. Yosuke stiffened in response and held out his hands in self-defence.

“Woah, woah, woah, what are you doing, partner?” he croaked, but the panic Yosuke was feeling at being checked over was nothing compared to what he had just experienced, so he continued on.

“How do you feel,” he asked, staring into Yosuke’s eyes to check for confusion or dullness as his thumb brushed the matted hair from his forehead to feel for where the laceration had been; he felt nothing but smooth skin and even scalp before his now-stained fingers carded through soft hair and spread the blood further. Yosuke was staring back, not confused more than shocked and only making garbled noises in the back of his throat, and he stared closer to get a better examination of whether this was a problem.

“I’m fine, I’m good, it’s, dude can you not, I mean. Are you alright?” He wasn’t blinking, and Souji began to worry that maybe it wasn’t fright but medical shock. He bent to lean his forehead against Yosuke’s to gauge his temperature and feel for clammy skin, but Yosuke jittered and then pulled his head back so fast he bashed it on the wall. 

Souji had one of the beads he kept in emergency supply in his hand before he could even register it, but Yosuke closed a hand over his before he could use it.

“It’s... tch… it’s okay, just a bump. What’s gotten into you, partner?” He was blushing, breathing too fast, and darting his eyes around in the middle distance, so Souji cradled a hand around the back of his head - slowly so as not to startle him - and then eased forward again to rest their foreheads together, eyes closed in concentration.

“You were hurt really badly this time, protecting me. I need to make sure that you aren’t hurt.”

He could feel Yosuke biting off his response.

Yosuke’s face was a couple of degrees above what was normal, so it wasn’t shock, and his breathing was fast but regular, so that awful stain on his shirt was probably not an ongoing lung issue he had to worry about. Frustration and concern warred in him; he should have put less trust in magic to heal everything, and when he got out of here he was definitely spending more time in the hospital learning everything he could. He exhaled, and felt Yosuke shiver and huff against his cheek. Was it just exhaustion? 

“Senpai? Is Yosuke-senpai alright?” came from behind him, and he broke away in sudden realisation that the other half of his team was right there, fretting but not advancing closer.

“Do I need to cast another Diarama? I can manage one more before I’m out,” Yukiko said. She was wringing her hands and trying to look around Souji.

“He should be okay from what I can tell, sensei! All clear,” came Teddie from out of the blue, his cheerfulness replaced by urgency.

Yosuke answered for him by standing and giving an experimental bob from side to side to test his balance.

“All clear,” he echoed, although Souji was still wary as he stood. There was something shifty to the way he was avoiding Souji’s eye like he didn’t want to worry him, and even now, minutes since the fight, that colour refused to leave his cheeks. He had watched Yosuke fighting enough to know that he was fit, and recovered stamina well after a fight. True, they had pushed themselves farther than usual but he should be on his way to tired but stable.

“We’ll get the chest here and then out, alright?” he said, hoping that nobody would question their rapid exit. They had all been rattled even before that fight, and now were all ready to leave ASAP. 

There was one last tiny, insignificant shadow that had been lurking behind the platform. Souji was more alert than his fatigue should have allowed and noticed it fast. 

One hand flew to his sword, while the other shot out behind him to grab Yosuke by the shirt and pull him close before he could run out to surround it.

“Stay behind me.”

“Dude, no, I’m fine! I’m doing better than everyone else here!” Yosuke protested, but he kept his grip strong and sword pointed out, although the grip was wobblier than he would have liked. Before he could decide whether to trust Yosuke to stay still and get both hands on the hilt the balance erupted in searing flame, and he threw a grateful nod to Yukiko as he ran in, Yosuke close on his heels.

Chest looted and Goho-M spent they collected in the entrance, everyone huddled around Yosuke to see if there was anything to the fuss Souji had been making, but they all quickly decided he was fine and it was just a heat of the moment thing. 

Soon they were left alone in the fog, Yosuke still uncomfortable and out of place in a way that put Souji on edge.

“You’ve gotta believe I’m fine, honestly, I’m 100%. I’m gonna go home and shower and sleep like the dead, uh, not like. Damn. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I’m going ahead.”

“Are you biking home?”

Yosuke turned back to him, one hand already out to the TV. 

“Yeah, dude. I’ll walk it if it’ll make you feel better. You worry like a girl, you know that?”

Souji couldn’t see that as a complaint and only nodded in response.

“Yeah that would make me feel better, thanks.”

“Is it going to take you giving me a full exam to get you off my back about this?” Yosuke said, and Souji couldn’t read whether it was fear or hope in his eyes.

“Maybe,” he said, to which Yosuke rolled his eyes and pushed his hand through the TV.

“So weird,” he muttered to himself before he was gone.

Souji smiled and followed him out.

**Author's Note:**

> This brotag tagging situation is a bother and a half, huh?
> 
> Maybe not pillow soft, but hopefully at least throw cushion.


End file.
